After two and a half hours of frustration, I eventually gave up.
I downgraded from NG6 to NC5, and then from NC5 to both NC2 and MK2 (separately) after MUCH Googling and forum searching.
For the longest time I couldn't get anything to work, until I realized that my USB extension cable was the cause of my problems. I finally got down to NC5 rooted. I tried to install Liquid Smooth and Cyanogenmod through Odin, and it wouldn't work. I got Liquid Smooth to install through Safestrap, but it just got stuck at the loading image forever.
I eventually got frustrated and let the Samsung software put NG6 back on, and left it alone. That's where I'm at now.
I assure you I've read absolutely every thing ever written on every subject by every person ever born in the history of mankind while trying to figure this out. Can someone PLEASE give me a walkthrough SUMMARY of how to get custom ROMs on this phone, beginning with NG6? I'm not a newbie. I've rooted and installed custom ROMs on numerous phones and tablets. But I can't keep playing with this phone, trying to get it to work. I'm going to end up becoming a serial killer if I get one more error message. I am now desperate, and asking for help.
Serial killer might be in your future. Unless you are MDK, safestrap is what you are limited to and it has only a few ROMs it can function with. Cyanogenmod is not supported with safestrap, AOSP/AOKP and such can soft-brick the phone.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
sponix2ipfw said:
Serial killer might be in your future. Unless you are MDK, safestrap is what you are limited to and it has only a few ROMs it can function with. Cyanogenmod is not supported with safestrap, AOSP/AOKP and such can soft-brick the phone.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Serial killer might be in your future" lololololol.
Related
I was rooted with custom recovery on MDK. I decided to restore my Stock rooted backup so I could take OTA path to MJ7.
I’m currently on MI1 waiting to update to MJ7 and noticed the Samsung Custom boot logo. Device Status says “Custom”. I’m no longer rooted, no more custom recovery due to the ME7 and MI1 OTA updates. How should I proceed?
I’m worried about tripping the Knox fuse and I know there’s no going back. Does it matter? Will the MJ7 update overwrite this status? Or do I need to take care of it on MI1 before moving forward to MJ7?
EDIT: While on MI1, I used the ODIN files to go completely back to stock MI1. This returned the Device Status to "Official" and the boot logo returned to normal. This link is for the ODIN files with instructions: (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2301259).
Screenshots, for reference.
You could try the [root] triangle away app. I would read through the thread 1st....http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1494114
The straightforward approach might be just to ODIN back to stock MI1 and go from there. Will that solve the problem?
(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2301259)
^^^ what he said. Odin and start fresh. Although it does seem like a shame to see a MDK device getting updated and locked down but hey it's not my device.
Normally reading the first two sentences of this post would have been the most disheartening thing to see in a S4 forum, luckily or unlucky today it comes in second only to garwyn just closing the dev thread about coming up with ideas for unlocking the bootloader, and it happening so shortly and randomly after my post here, which I consider the most significant public progress we've made in unlocking this bootloader, because its the only public progress I've seen since we were gifted with loki.
majeiks said:
The straightforward approach might be just to ODIN back to stock MI1 and go from there. Will that solve the problem?
(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2301259)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confirmed. This did the trick. Device Status says "Official" and the boot logo returned to normal. Will update OP with solution.
I'm on mdk lokied. I rather wait someone will surely make a stock rooted 4.3 or use it as a base for their rom..give it a week and it will be worth it. We probably won't get kitkat here for a long time and especially if your locked down.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
cell128 said:
I'm on mdk lokied. I rather wait someone will surely make a stock rooted 4.3 or use it as a base for their rom..give it a week and it will be worth it. We probably won't get kitkat here for a long time and especially if your locked down.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes patience is the way to go give it a little time if nothing develops then you can always go to a locked down device I upgraded my wife's phone and trust me the improvements are things we already had like the wi fi notification thing and the e911 icon being removed. I flashed the radio for the 4.3 update which is the most important thing anyways so I'm gonna hang in a little longer and see what roms pop up..
MJ7
matt1733 said:
yes patience is the way to go give it a little time if nothing develops then you can always go to a locked down device I upgraded my wife's phone and trust me the improvements are things we already had like the wi fi notification thing and the e911 icon being removed. I flashed the radio for the 4.3 update which is the most important thing anyways so I'm gonna hang in a little longer and see what roms pop up..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was running Hyperdrive 9.1 on Safestrap on my I545. One day there must've been a pocket dial because I pulled it out and it said there were too many password attempts and I needed the recovery password or there would be a factory reset and data would be wiped. So I Safestrapped into stock, (ME7), but I never liked ME7, so decided to go back to unrooted stock and upgrade to MJ7.
Bottom line, so far I love it. It runs significantly smoother, faster, and with less bugs than the other ROMs I've tried. I'm not a developer and I understand the passion some have for custom options, but at the end of the day, if stock updates make improvements and eliminate most of the bugs, then it's a whole lot easier. I'm liking MJ7 on my phone.
Runamok said:
I was running Hyperdrive 9.1 on Safestrap on my I545. One day there must've been a pocket dial because I pulled it out and it said there were too many password attempts and I needed the recovery password or there would be a factory reset and data would be wiped. So I Safestrapped into stock, (ME7), but I never liked ME7, so decided to go back to unrooted stock and upgrade to MJ7.
Bottom line, so far I love it. It runs significantly smoother, faster, and with less bugs than the other ROMs I've tried. I'm not a developer and I understand the passion some have for custom options, but at the end of the day, if stock updates make improvements and eliminate most of the bugs, then it's a whole lot easier. I'm liking MJ7 on my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you getting the security warnings yet? A friend has stock MJ7 and has been getting security warnings. He asked me to take a look at it . after about 3 seconds of googleing I found the answer. Its a known bug in MJ7.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...xy-s4-security-notice-after-update-4-3-a.html
Knox security warnings - No biggie
azraell33 said:
Are you getting the security warnings yet? A friend has stock MJ7 and has been getting security warnings. He asked me to take a look at it . after about 3 seconds of googleing I found the answer. Its a known bug in MJ7.
Thank you for pointing this out. I checked into it and I doubt it's a bug. I DID get the security warning the next morning after install, which coincided with the timing of your message. My reaction to it was to simply agree to getting the security updates. I have not had any problems since, and my phone is running fine. I tried multiple ROMs while I had Safestrap on my phone, and MJ7 is performing as well as any of them. The caveat is that I'm not able to make as many mods to phone features, but to be honest, a lot of the mods were superficial tweaks that I didn't really use that much on a regular basis.
I APPRECIATE what developers have done to spur Verizon and Samsung into fixing the problems with the earlier versions of the software. Obviously, I was unhappy enough to attempt altering the firmware and risk losing warranty service. Having said that, I've come to a place where the time and effort it takes to act as my own customer service agent isn't serving me well. When I started having problems with my custom ROM and realized there had been not one, but TWO Verizon updates in the space of 3-4 months, I made a choice to accept the good with the bad and go the route of accepting updates in one easy click, instead of expending the energy it takes to be my own R&D and customer service department. .
MJ7 is running fine. Energy efficiency seems very good. Stability appears solid. Response time and hangups appear to be all but eliminated. Those were the reasons I tried a custom ROM, energy efficiency, stability and performance. MJ7 seems to have addressed those reasonably well.
A big THANK YOU to developers who had an influence in nudging Verizon into action. Security will continue to be a looming issue, and hopefully it will not quash the creativity of brilliant independent thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an unlocked verizon gs4, and I'm running a KK rom. I'm getting multiple fc's, which I've read is due to an outdated recovery. I've tried odin {multiple times} failure each time. I have no idea what's going on. I hate dealing with recoveries. I totally bricked my tablet trying to update the recovery. It doesn't really matter to me which recovery I use. I'm used to cwm personally. I don't know what's happening with odin. I've used it many times without any problems, not this time. Anyway, if anyone has anything to say please do so. Thanks
wily5150 said:
I have an unlocked verizon gs4, and I'm running a KK rom. I'm getting multiple fc's, which I've read is due to an outdated recovery. I've tried odin {multiple times} failure each time. I have no idea what's going on. I hate dealing with recoveries. I totally bricked my tablet trying to update the recovery. It doesn't really matter to me which recovery I use. I'm used to cwm personally. I don't know what's happening with odin. I've used it many times without any problems, not this time. Anyway, if anyone has anything to say please do so. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Grab Flashify from the play store and you can choose which recovery you'd prefer. It's a fairly easy app to use. Do you have a Dev S4 or an MDK build with Loki exploit?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Try this.....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=52092093
Sent from a mod junkies I545
I have the MDK build. Thanks for the help. Flashy worked.
Ok, I know I'll be needing my flame retardant suit for this, but I'm in a tight spot and work has made it where won't really have the time I need to dig through the mass of threads for at least a couple weeks.
When I got my S4 in January, it was the first time I didn't even bother dropping a recovery or custom rom on a new Android. Usually I'm running something custom by the next day. In this case, all I did was root, but left it stock. When 4.4. dropped, I froze the OTA update notice so I didn't have to deal with it. So for the last several months, I've been running 4.3 on a rooted MK2 build with no custom recovery or anything else.
Fast forward to now and I've finally hit a point where I either need to try and wipe/reset my current, or more preferred go ahead up to 4.4 and be done with it. That's where the challenge comes in. When last I was looking (a few months back), going from a rooted stock 4.3 to 4.4 was a bit of a nightmare. Is that still the case or has the bootloader finally been dealt with by the mighty devs out there? I've been looking for a sticky or just a thread on if we're back to a good old one-click approach, but so far have come up blank.
Anyone in a position to dodge the fireballs and point me in the right direction?
Since you are already on a locked boot loader custom recovery is not an option. You may as well unfreeze the OTA and unroot. Then take the OTA to NC5 KitKat and root with towelroot. That is my recommendation...
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
Or use Odin and the no wipe files and re-root with towel root
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2735172
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
sponix2ipfw said:
Since you are already on a locked boot loader custom recovery is not an option. You may as well unfreeze the OTA and unroot. Then take the OTA to NC5 KitKat and root with towelroot. That is my recommendation...
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blows my mind that they finally managed an unbeatable bootloader. *50s gangter voice* Curses!!!
I was one of the idiots that accidentally upgraded to the newest firmware when it first came out. My device is totally rooted, but I've been reading that I'm required to use things such as SafeStrap or Loki to install custom roms. I'm not sure if this is still the case as its been months since this was discovered. I've been trying to search the forums extensively for a fix, but I've been unable to find one. One thing I came across: here seems to be a very simple way to install TWRP on the Galaxy S4, however, I don't wan to run the risk of bricking my phone and being SOL because I have ****ty firmware and no way to custom recover my phone.
Point blank, would I be able to install TWRP manager via GooManager given that I've updated to NC5? Or even if not, what are my options for custom recovery/roms? End game, I want to walk away with 5.0.1 GPE or Cyanogenmod 12. Hopefully.
I'd really appreciate any and all help. Attached is a screenshot of my phone information.
zQueal said:
I was one of the idiots that accidentally upgraded to the newest firmware when it first came out. My device is totally rooted, but I've been reading that I'm required to use things such as SafeStrap or Loki to install custom roms. I'm not sure if this is still the case as its been months since this was discovered. I've been trying to search the forums extensively for a fix, but I've been unable to find one. One thing I came across: here seems to be a very simple way to install TWRP on the Galaxy S4, however, I don't wan to run the risk of bricking my phone and being SOL because I have ****ty firmware and no way to custom recover my phone.
Point blank, would I be able to install TWRP manager via GooManager given that I've updated to NC5? Or even if not, what are my options for custom recovery/roms? End game, I want to walk away with 5.0.1 GPE or Cyanogenmod 12. Hopefully.
I'd really appreciate any and all help. Attached is a screenshot of my phone information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you updated to anything past MDK there's no going back . Safestrap is the only option to install Touchwiz ROMS.
scrillakev said:
Once you updated to anything past MDK there's no going back . Safestrap is the only option to install Touchwiz ROMS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn! That's what I figured. I followed [this guide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLHZfPwLkPM) and installed the SafeStrap APK, but stopped at the "install recovery" step. I've been reading that this can soft brick your phone. Do you have any input? Is it safe to do? If it does brick my phone will I be able to factory reset with Odin?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, I'm a bit of a noob.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT:
Well, I decided to go ahead with it. It worked fine. I rebooted to SafeStrap and went right to do a backup. It failed. I tried to reboot into my stock rom, and it was 0MB. I really might blow up Verizon HQ.
zQueal said:
Damn! That's what I figured. I followed [this guide](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLHZfPwLkPM) and installed the SafeStrap APK, but stopped at the "install recovery" step. I've been reading that this can soft brick your phone. Do you have any input? Is it safe to do? If it does brick my phone will I be able to factory reset with Odin?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, I'm a bit of a noob.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT:
Well, I decided to go ahead with it. It worked fine. I rebooted to SafeStrap and went right to do a backup. It failed. I tried to reboot into my stock rom, and it was 0MB. I really might blow up Verizon HQ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never used SafeStrap so I doubt I will be much help. But once you rebooted your stock ROM is no longer there? Might have to just flash a stock image via ODIN and try again. Verizon isn't going to help you either with modding your phone, XDA is the place to be.
Has there been anything new since this thread was posted or is it impossible still?
mcbeat257 said:
Has there been anything new since this thread was posted or is it impossible still?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry buddy you're SOL
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
If you are rooted use a terminal editor app and type:
getprop ro.bootloader
If it says anything other than I545VRUAMDK your only choice is SafeStrap.
That means if you bought an S4 and it came with MK1, NC5, NK1, or anything other than MDK you cannot flash a custom recovery. The same applies if you took an OTA from VZW. This has been stated 1000's of times here.
Hint:
Look on the box that your S4 came in and read the last three characters where it says what build the phone has.
mcbeat257 said:
Has there been anything new since this thread was posted or is it impossible still?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep checking up on SS they are working on the ability to also use custom kernels on top which would make it essentially as efficient as a custom recovery, with some storage loss.
safestrap version
Well, I decided to go ahead with it. It worked fine. I rebooted to SafeStrap and went right to do a backup. It failed. I tried to reboot into my stock rom, and it was 0MB. I really might blow up Verizon HQ.[/QUOTE]
***Make sure you are using the correct version of safestrap for your current baseband
another good app from the google play store to download is samsung info
I have used safestrap in the past as I was in the same scenario as you. I currently now have a MDK phone
Illogi.xbone said:
Keep checking up on SS they are working on the ability to also use custom kernels on top which would make it essentially as efficient as a custom recovery, with some storage loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How come they haven't been able to unlock the bootloader when only the build version is changing......
There should have been an exploit awhile ago....and why haven't they made an odin option for MDK yet?
mcbeat257 said:
How come they haven't been able to unlock the bootloader when only the build version is changing......
There should have been an exploit awhile ago....and why haven't they made an odin option for MDK yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The exploit was weeded out after MDK
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
The bootloader was never "unlocked" on MDK, there was just an exploit available that allowed the installation of a custom recovery. That exploit was closed in the first update from MDK and a new one has not been discovered. The bootloader itself has some pretty strong encryption so it may never be unlocked.
I don't mean to beat a dead horse, as I'm sure it's been brought up. But every search I've done just brings up how to update to OC1 without losing root. All the way back to the original Motorola Droid, I've always rooted and added a custom recovery and ROM to every phone I've had. I was running Hyperdrive RLS20 and loved it. I've been using Hyperdrive since my Galaxy S3. Then I saw Hyperdrive RLS21 came out and decided I wanted to give it a shot. And although I've flashed over a few hundred ROMs no problem, this time really screwed my phone. I could only get into DL mode. I tried about 25 different ways until I had Kies fix it, which put it on 5.0.1. Can I revert down with Odin? Or is there anything I can do to get root and SU back. Any help would be much, MUCH appreciated
Nope, by taking the latest OTA (or in this case Kies) you've locked yourself into the latest version, for which there is currently no Root
That sucks. No way to use Odin in order to downgrade or anything? This is the first time since I've ever owned an android phone that I've been stuck without root
52brandon said:
That sucks. No way to use Odin in order to downgrade or anything? This is the first time since I've ever owned an android phone that I've been stuck without root
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. Locked Bootloader sucks.
Every single time there is an update these individuals always end up in this situation! !! No matter how many times they're told to wait and just not update!!!
Charlie115 said:
Every single time there is an update these individuals always end up in this situation! !! No matter how many times they're told to wait and just not update!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't lump me In with that crowd. I had no intention on going to 5.0.1. If you read my original post, I was upgrading to Hyperdrive KK21 from KK20 (and yes, I followed every single instruction to the T. My only guess is that the USB connection got messed up and only flashed a portion causing the problems) and it **** the bed mid-update. I couldn't get into SS recovery or even stock recovery, only DL mode. I spent 2 days without a working phone trying to flash every single Odin file that retained root and they all failed. So I used Kies to try to repair it and ended up ****ed on 5.0.1. The one solution I didn't want. I've NEVER had an android since the D1 that wasn't rooted running a custom ROM. Which is why I'm so desperately trying to get back to rooted. While 5.0.1 is actually a very nice OS, not having all the root options is killing me. And since its now 2 generations old, my hopes that a root exploit will be found, or that people even care enough to try to find one are extremely low. But, I sure hope I'm wrong, and that an exploit for one of the newer generations Galaxies will work on this one too. I'm OCD about having root and this is killing me
52brandon said:
I couldn't get into SS recovery or even stock recovery, only DL mode. I spent 2 days without a working phone trying to flash every single Odin file that retained root and they all failed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're ever in this situation again, give up on retaining your current root, flash back to true stock (with a re-partition .pit file as well), and re-root. If you had flashed the nc5 full-wipe with the .pit file and just restored root from a clean system, you would have been fine.
52brandon said:
Don't lump me In with that crowd. I had no intention on going to 5.0.1. If you read my original post, I was upgrading to Hyperdrive KK21 from KK20 (and yes, I followed every single instruction to the T. My only guess is that the USB connection got messed up and only flashed a portion causing the problems) and it **** the bed mid-update. I couldn't get into SS recovery or even stock recovery, only DL mode. I spent 2 days without a working phone trying to flash every single Odin file that retained root and they all failed. So I used Kies to try to repair it and ended up ****ed on 5.0.1. The one solution I didn't want. I've NEVER had an android since the D1 that wasn't rooted running a custom ROM. Which is why I'm so desperately trying to get back to rooted. While 5.0.1 is actually a very nice OS, not having all the root options is killing me. And since its now 2 generations old, my hopes that a root exploit will be found, or that people even care enough to try to find one are extremely low. But, I sure hope I'm wrong, and that an exploit for one of the newer generations Galaxies will work on this one too. I'm OCD about having root and this is killing me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you should have known better than to use kies...
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
Honestly I don't even think that devlopers will make much effort to even find out how to root this version as its says that this is one of two updates before getting lollypop.
Development Forums are for developers to share their work and post their Roms and Mods.
Questions belong in the Q&A section.
Thread has been moved to correct section, please pay attention to XDA rules.
Root
52brandon said:
I don't mean to beat a dead horse, as I'm sure it's been brought up. But every search I've done just brings up how to update to OC1 without losing root. All the way back to the original Motorola Droid, I've always rooted and added a custom recovery and ROM to every phone I've had. I was running Hyperdrive RLS20 and loved it. I've been using Hyperdrive since my Galaxy S3. Then I saw Hyperdrive RLS21 came out and decided I wanted to give it a shot. And although I've flashed over a few hundred ROMs no problem, this time really screwed my phone. I could only get into DL mode. I tried about 25 different ways until I had Kies fix it, which put it on 5.0.1. Can I revert down with Odin? Or is there anything I can do to get root and SU back. Any help would be much, MUCH appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KingRoot 4.1 rooted my galaxy s4 on oc1....and try flashing an nc5 tar in flashfire
You cannot flash anything with flashfire. If you flash that tar, you WILL brick.
Question
Just wondering, i have rooted my OC1 with Kingroot 4.1, now, can someone make a guide showing how to downgrade from OC1?
PD:. Sorry for my horrible english.
Epiphany^ said:
Just wondering, i have rooted my OC1 with Kingroot 4.1, now, can someone make a guide showing how to downgrade from OC1?
PD:. Sorry for my horrible english.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't downgrade from OC1.
Downgrade isn't a root issue, it is a bootloader issue. Unless the bootloader gets unlocked, we're stuck on OC1
kingroot does work
I had done the dumb thing and was impatient and did the oc1 update to later find out you can not downgrade and im on Verizon Samsung galaxy s4 (sch-i545) which even on kit kat is very limited to rooting it.. but on a whim I seen a post about king root and it mentioned that and I did see this myself but it will say not supported like it did on mine. but I figured what the hell.. whats the worst that could happen... well im rooted now and only tried because I had seen others make that comment.. well kingroot works for s4 Verizon with locked bootloader.. no need to downgrade from oc1.. just get the app and click... took less than 10 mins if I rememner right.. and I have had no pronlems in 3 days.. it oddly even fixed some of the bugs I was having with oc1 like incoming calls not ringing
Munk3ybones said:
I had done the dumb thing and was impatient and did the oc1 update to later find out you can not downgrade and im on Verizon Samsung galaxy s4 (sch-i545) which even on kit kat is very limited to rooting it.. but on a whim I seen a post about king root and it mentioned that and I did see this myself but it will say not supported like it did on mine. but I figured what the hell.. whats the worst that could happen... well im rooted now and only tried because I had seen others make that comment.. well kingroot works for s4 Verizon with locked bootloader.. no need to downgrade from oc1.. just get the app and click... took less than 10 mins if I rememner right.. and I have had no pronlems in 3 days.. it oddly even fixed some of the bugs I was having with oc1 like incoming calls not ringing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have root. But you have a much lower chance of getting an unlocked Bootloader than anyone on NC5/NK1/NK4. They have root, module loading, and a potential for kexec to run custom kernels.
Don't upgrade to OC1 via OTA if you haven't already everyone! Use Muniz_ri's keeproot upgrade method!
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 AM ----------
bigg6987 said:
Downgrade isn't a root issue, it is a bootloader issue. Unless the bootloader gets unlocked, we're stuck on OC1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even then you're stuck. Rollback has little to do with the BL. Rollback is set at a much lower level (physically).
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk